The present invention refers to the automatic application of labels to bottles or other containers and more particularly refers to the indexing of labels on a web passing bottles in turn wherein the labels are removed from the web, by heat in the illustrated embodiment, and applied to the bottles while the web continues to a take-up reel.
In such an operation it is important that each label be applied over a specific predetermined part of the surface of the bottle, especially in the case of plastic bottles where a seam in the bottle usually must be avoided for smooth results.
In the prior art, in order to obtain an exact register between labels and bottles use is made of rollers with sprockets which necessitates the use of label webs with spaced holes along their edges and gear changes whenever a change in label size is made. This may also necessitate additional gearing to coordinate operation of different parts of the machine.